I actually do have a pretty youthful soul...I usually joke that I am 56 going on 12. Not that I am immature; rather, I still have the sense of wonder that children have. Also, I tend to be more naive and trusting than most people my age.

thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!

I'm a white American of English/Irish descent and through most of my life, I was attracted to men whose coloring was similar to my own.

Sometime over the last decade, though, my tastes have done almost a complete 180. I find Gallic features -- dark hair and large noses -- very appealing (Jean Reno...sigh) I also find men from India appealing. Even more so, very, very dark African men. I just find dark skin very beautiful. I would follow Djimon Hounsou to the ends of the earth.

Does that make me a reverse racist?

work from a reliable client

Has killed every house plant he ever owned...even the silk and plastic ones.

cytomegalovirus ... clearly I work too hard

I know it's out of order but my head's gonna explode if I don't post this:

The The

a pair of well-worn hiking boots

First, a disclaimer: What I'm about to share isn't intended to present myself as beautiful.

When I was a kid, my mother obsessed about making me become a model. She tried twice, once when I was about eight and again when I was 14. Both times I refused to cooperate; once I ran out on an audition. I tried one last time when I was in my 20s, for my mother's sake, but I very quickly realized that "beautiful" was not a term I could comfortably apply to myself.

If I'm to be honest, though, I have to say that I would love to be beautiful. But only if I could retain the positive attributes that I am aware that I have, and that I value.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses. I have to say this forum is one of the most intelligent I've encountered online, which is so often a clearinghouse for the banal. But this forum, unlike so many, poses meaningful questions and the answers are generally just as meaningful. Ya'll are teaching me a lot.
Love,
Ysabeau

Nah, I usually limit the reports to five years.

Oh, and I omit all mention of bodily functions.

Hiya sweetie!

I'm a bit of a noob myself, but welcome to Mingle2 anyway. The folks here are very nice.

When you feel more relaxed about it, how about expanding your profile a bit -- tell more about your favorite things, that sort of thing? Or you can tell something funny about yourself...sometimes I break the ice by telling people about the time that I fell head-first into a lake because I slid down the muddy bank. This was about 10 seconds after my cousin had said, "Uh, I don't think you should do that..." It makes people laugh to visualize me all covered in mud (it makes me laugh, too).

Good luck, hon!

Thanks, you guys rock! Since you've been nice enough to offer some pointers, can I ask another question? As a man, are you put off by a woman who writes too much? Thing is, I'm a writer by trade, and I was trained to be thorough in the amount of information I give. So when I send a guy a message, I tell him why his profile drew me and then I say more about myself. Maybe I'm babbling too much?

HUGE hugs to you for helping me!

Hi folks,

I've written quite a few messages but haven't received a single answer. I revised my profile yet again as well as changing the photo.

What's up? Am I hideous? I realize that at 56, I look my age, but on the other hand I watch my weight, dress well, and take care of my hair and skin.

As for the profile, I don't think I'm asking too much. I'm not hunting for a man to support me. I don't even need to be wined and dined in high style. I'm more the handpicked wildflowers than roses type.

I would really appreciate any advice -- especially from guys in my age group. Don't spare my feelings; if you think I ought to check myself into the nearest Home for the Decrepit, say so.

Hi Hon,

I like it! The only change I'd like to see is additional, and more recent, photos of you. But I love the fact that you are so thorough in sharing your interests -- no to mention very well-rounded. Cheers!

Hi Hon,

I think you need to do two things with your profile: You need to rewrite it without using all capital letters, and you need to use punctuation at the end of each sentence so that readers can tell where one thought ends and another begins.

Good luck!

Hi hon,
I agree with Amaraii; why not share a bit more about what makes you not like the average guy? To give you an example I might share about myself, I went bungee jumping at the age of 45 -- which is quite a bit older than the usual people you see doing that sport.

Other than that, I like your profile. Makes me wish I were younger.

Gosh, what a sheltered life I've had! The most outrageous question a guy ever asked me on the first date was whether he could suck my toes. Trouble is, he meant it. (NO, I did NOT let him.)

Thank you! You made my day. BTW, your profile is just lovely. I wish I had your flair with words.

I had some fresh hells in my life (no news fit to print), but now I'm back. I thought I'd refresh my profile and add a few pics as well. What do you think, O Wise Ones?

Seeing my tiny kitten, Arabella, gazing up at me a few minutes ago, with such warmth in her eyes...like I was a giant bag of kitten chow or something.